I understand there is some new legislation being drafted at the moment which will declare green lasers as controlled weapons - very similar to what NSW is going to do.
However... (and people never seem to listen to this bit, so listen up!)
If you actually bothered to contact the Radiological Council, and talk to a chap named Cameron Storm, he would tell you that you can have a less than 5mw green laser in your possesion, but anything above that you need to apply for a licence, register the place where you use the said laser and attend a half-day course on laser safety. And pay something a little over $200 for all this.
But things are still a bit hazy. I will be extremely glad when it is made clear, no matter what the result. It's irked me for years that WA has had laws about owning and selling laser pointers for about 10 years but it has never been patrolled or controlled.
And yes, I have a green laser pointer that is below the legal limit which is used for astronomy education and outreach and I find it more than adequate for the job.
